Default Of The Mind
by JT4Life
Summary: Set at the end of The Transformation. Olivia is confused about the events of the day, and the people involved. "They were words that she never thought she’d hear herself say out loud..." Bolivia fic.


_Hi y'all. Here's a little something I wrote, set after the end of the Transformation. I was hoping for a little more Bolivia interaction afterwards, so here's what I came up with. I had a bit of writer's block, and had to let it sit for a few days, but I finally finished it, so enjoy!_

_Spoilers for the Transformation. I don't own anything, just my shipper obsessions ;)_

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**Default Of The Mind**

"_I love you, 'Liv."_

John Scott's words echoed in her ears as Olivia pulled her damp hair out of the collar of her coat. Those four words made her feel detached from reality, like she was looking at the world through a veil of mist. And then her own response: _"I love you too."_ They were words that she never thought she'd hear herself say out loud. Words that she had once considered saying to John, and those same words were ones that she felt she would never utter again after his death. Yet, she had done just that only a few minutes ago in the tank.

Olivia waved an absent minded 'thank you and goodbye' to Walter and left the lab still in a trance-like state. Her shoes clicked down the empty hallway, giving the corridor the sense that it had been abandoned. The fluorescent basement lights glowed dully, making her head throb painfully.

Rounding a corner, Olivia laid her hand against the wall for support. Her headache was growing and the day's events were catching up to her. A sob escaped her lips and Olivia clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle it. Her mind immediately defaulted to Peter, and the first time she'd entered the tank that day.

_Two strong arms lifted her from behind, linked under hers and hauled her out of the water. Next thing she knew, Peter was holding her gently while crouched on the floor. Despite her uncontrollable shaking, he tried to hold her steady while Astrid injected some drugs into her leg. The drugs took effect instantly and she began to become more aware. Peter's hands were touching her bare shoulder and midriff, sending butterflies into her stomach. She was breathing deeply, huddled against him. She could feel his breath against her cheek. Finally, she glanced up into his eyes._

"_Oh, Peter…"_

_Her hand reached out of its own accord and came into contact with his arm. She pulled herself towards him, and Peter tightened his hold on her and pulled her close. His lips brushed against her forehead, lingering, but never forming a kiss. A small, contented smile appeared on her lips._

"_You're ok." Peter brushed a lock of wet hair away from her temple with his cheek, drawing her ever closer to him. "You're going to be fine."_

_She buried her face in his neck as he rested his chin against her head. Continuing to breathe deeply, she allowed herself to be hugged tightly by Peter. She wanted to be hugged by him, to feel his arms around her, making her skin feel as though it were on fire wherever his hands came into contact with her, to feel his scruffy cheek pressed to her hair…._

"'Liv? Is that you?"

Olivia snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Peter's voice. He appeared at the end of the corridor, at top of the flight of stairs leading to the basement section of Harvard. Despite her best efforts, he caught her standing, rather _leaning_, against the wall and hurried over to her.

"Hey, Peter," Olivia quipped, the words tumbling out of her mouth in a rush as she hurried to steady herself.

Peter took a step closer to her. "Are you feeling alright? You're a bit pale."

Olivia took a half step backwards towards the wall. "I'm fine, really. How'd it go with Hicks?" Throwing in a question would hopefully throw him off the trail just a bit, but then again, who was she kidding? This was Peter Bishop she was dealing with.

"He's doing well. They're gonna keep him hospitalized for a few days just to make sure there's no side-affects of the antidote." Peter spoke evenly, his eyes focused on Olivia, sizing her up. Suddenly, Peter reached out and grazed his fingers along a strand of her damp hair. His expression changed from one of uncertainty to one of concern. "You went into the tank again." It wasn't a question, it was a no-nonsense statement.

Normally, Olivia would never even consider letting her guard down, not even for a second, not in her world. But the day had been a long one, a confusing one, a dangerous one, and she was exhausted. So she let her stiff shoulders drop as Peter gently anchored the loose strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing her earlobe and causing her to shiver involuntarily.

"Look, I've just got a lot on my mind now. I just need some sleep, really, I'm ok," Olivia protested, even though Peter hadn't said a thing. His intense gaze was enough to make her cave in.

He took a step closer, his expression softening. "'Livia," Peter said her name gently, throwing her completely off guard. God, she loved the way he slurred her name like that. "I pulled you out of that tank this morning. I saw how upset you were. You need more than just sleep for this one."

Olivia didn't know what to say. Peter's open display of care for her was baffling – he wasn't usually so forward about… well, _anything_.

"Then what do _you_ suggest I do?" The words came out a bit harsher than she'd meant them to be, and she cringed inwardly, hoping that she hadn't hurt his feelings.

To Olivia's relief, Peter smiled back at her, a sweet, charming smile that made her stomach tighten. He took yet another step towards her, close enough that their coats were brushing up against each other. "Come here, 'Liv," Peter said gently, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her against him. His hand found its way to the back of her neck, while the other encircled her waist. Feeling his bare fingers against her skin sent a shiver along Olivia's spine. She sighed, letting her head rest in the cozy little nook between Peter's neck and chest, just like she'd done earlier that day. She felt his cheek against her forehead again. Olivia closed her eyes and had to hold down a whimper when Peter's lips brushed against her temple and, this time, left a small kiss on her skin.

"Promise me that you'll never go back into that damn thing," Peter spoke softly into her ear.

"I don't need to any more… I found what I was looking for," her reply came out muffled by Peter's jacket.

"You found your closure." Again, it was a simple assertion, not a question, because he always seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.

Olivia smiled tiredly and closed her eyes. "Yeah. I did."

Peter pulled away slowly, leaving his hands to rest on her shoulders. "Now," he began soothingly, "I want you to go home and get some sleep."

His eyes gazed tenderly into hers and she had to make a conscious effort not to gaze back, captivated.

"Ok, I will." Olivia's voice sounded small, even to her own ears.

Peter smiled, removing his hands from her shoulders and shoving them deep into his pockets. "Have a good night, 'Liv," he said in the same tender, uncharacteristic Peter Bishop tone. Offering her one last smile, Peter turned and began to amble down the hallway towards the lab, no doubt to pick up Walter.

Olivia stood in shock. It baffled her how he could be so different sometimes. The street-smart wiseass façade was _his_ shield to hide behind. At first, Olivia had thought that that was who he really was, but over the last few months, she'd caught occasional glimpses of a different Peter; one who really, genuinely cared for her, and didn't bother trying to hide the fact. And yet, he still remained elusive and mysterious to her, a never ending puzzle that grew and changed every time she thought she'd found two pieces that fit together.

Now, watching him disappear around the corner, his back to her, Olivia could only gape in awe until his strong and silent form disappeared from her line of vision.

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_What do you guys think?? I've got another two or more fics/fic ideas in the works and chances are, they'll be up soon. I've been sick the last few days and I'm not expecting it to get much better for at least another day or so :( But then again, it leaves plenty of time to write!_

_Some reviews would be the equivalent of chicken noodle soup right now :)_


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